New Beginnings
by its-all-in-the-eyez
Summary: Please review! :) It's 7th Year, and Lily, her friends, and the Marauders are spending their last year together while planning for their future post-Hogwarts. Lily and James find themselves falling for each other between sweaty Quidditch practices, all-nighters before exams, and stressful career plans.
1. Snowflakes

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Harry Potter, characters and plotlines included.

She watched the snowflakes drop, her eyes shifting between the individual crystals as they gently came fluttering down just outside her windowsill. Lily's hand moved to hold the teacup that contained her Magical Brewing Bubbles tea. She sipped carefully, her gaze moving back to page 454 of her textbook "Mythical Masterminds of the Ages" She'd already long passed the last page of the assigned reading for Defense Against the Dark Arts and was now perusing the ancient texts describing of genius mythical beasts who had influenced crores of wizarding citizens to accomplish their fantastic dark magical agendas. As she set the teacup down on the saucer resting on the wooden window sill, the cup shook slightly as bubbles brewed to the top, magic causing the tea to brew and boil once again.

"The reading could wait," she thought and she looked to her left to see the stacks of textbooks and assignments she had finished completing on a productive Saturday. The sun finally began to filter in between the wintry clouds on this Sunday morning at precisely 6:08 a.m. She started when she heard voices coming from the steps of the Common Room.

"Oy James!" Sirius called grinning short of breath, as he took the stairs up to the Common Room by twos. He nodded his head towards Lily in what she was sure he thought was a surreptitious move. "Psst, check out who's doing a bit of light reading in the wee hours!" Sirius sniggered and Remus who had come up alongside him his right hand still resting on the bannister rolled his eyes and sighed looking straight ahead. "Maybe that's what you should be doing Sirius seeing how your grades have taken a turn lately."

James shoved in between the two and came into view, and Lily immediately made sure he couldn't see her eyes on him, moving a section of her deep red hair slightly to the left covering her eyes. She froze waiting to hear his voice say something about her studying at such an early hour on this snowy morning when everyone had gone to Hogsmeade and her stomach flip-flopped in anticipation. He had paid attention to her since the day she'd arrived at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry but there was no denying his charm, and wit could surprise anyone be it student, professor or ghost. She told herself, for this very characterisitic of James Potter, that affected not just females but EVERYONE (she emphasized to herself) she was quivering to hear what he had to say about her lonely decision to study on a Hogsemeade weekend.

She heard him sigh fondly at the sight of her, and couldn't prevent a blush from creeping up her freckled cheeks. In the softest awed voice James began to speak. "Grades? Moony, how could any man focus on anything but thy sweet sight before him, a flower like Lily Evans resembleth what my heart prays for" he said imploringly. Sirius and Remus stopped in their tracks at James use of old English to herald Lily and looked at him like he had surely once and for all lost it. James tilted his head to the side to peer at their incredulous expressions, then laughed roaringly. He sauntered up to Remus hurling a long arm around his neck and shuffling his hair with his left fist. "You should see your faces. The girl is something else but I'd have to be plastered before I-"

Lily's patience snapped. She had actually thought his reaction to her was sweet but seeing how he thought it was amusing, she thought it was finally time to end this charade of not knowing they were there. She had resolved to be mature in her outlook and behavior towards the Maurauders this semester as it was their final year together, but would eventually and quickly give up this endeavor if they're lack of seriousness about just about anything continued the way it had the past 7 years. Closing her books and shoving them into her bag, she made her way to the sweaty James Potter who was still holding his broomstick leaving muddy foot prints in his wake. For a second the sight of him took her breath away seeing his flushed cheeks from the biting cold weather and the sweat on his chest at the V-neck of his t-shirt, covered by a long thick robes used to protect him against the wintery weather, but she took a deep breath, looked straight at Remus, and smiled.

"Remus! How are you?" she beamed. Remus still recovering from James' attack on his hair, mopped it down, and smiled in return. "I'm good Lily, and yourself? Got to Binns' homework yet? Treacherously long." Remus said charmingly. She was completely ignoring Sirius and James and the sight of Lily's pleasant smile focused on Remus made James's jaw clench. He continued to glare at them as the two excitedly walked the bright lilt of her voice bouncing off the halls of the spiral staircase down to the Great Hall for breakfast, Remus forgetting that the he and his friends had planned to go together.

When they had left the room the Fat Lady's portrait swinging shut, James crossed his arms, and looked at Sirius. Was she planning on settling with Moony then after all these years of chasing the beautiful captivating redhead? "What WAS that?" James furiously thought. With an even expression James asked "You don't think she heard us do you? You know...the bit about me and my hearts desire?" Sirius rolled his eyes and slapped his long-time best friend on the back affectionately. "Mate. You've got a long way to go eitherway. Come on lets get to breakfast. and get that sour expression of your face. Moony won't try anything." James sighed, picked up his broom, and looked back with a mischeivous glance still feeling the sting of her rejection of him for Moony. "First one to the top gets the stash of Chocolate Frogs Moony's been hiding from us under his floorboard!"

James lost the race after attempting to fly up the bannister with his broom, crashing into Sir Matthews' portrait and losing the slighted knight's goodwill for perhaps the rest of the term.


	2. Chapter 2

"What do you even want James!? Can't you see I'm trying to work here?" Lily asked her eyes blazing shifting from her textbook lying on the library table, as she pushed back her fiery red hair and tilted her chin up at him. What she saw however, surprised her. James was boring his eyes into hers with a serious expression.

"Lily..." was all he said. Lilly involuntarily blushed. "What?" she said almost softly surprising herself with her tone of voice. James' eyebrows raised at her tone and then he quickly shook his head and blinked in wonderment at the idea she may finally be ready to give him a chance. "Lily..." he said again this time catching her hand in his and coming close. "Give me a day. Just one day, Evans. I'll show you what it would be like. I know you regret parts of our past and this is the perfect way to get some closure. Like when you sent Peeves after Sirius and I last term in November...or when you told McGonagal that Sirius and I were brewing Polyjuice Potion to spy on the Slytherins!" James finished, his voice sure that these were things Lily _must_ regret on her part. Lily frowned and squinted her eyes. "...James, _you_ were the one to call Peeves on me and my friends after you saw me laughing with Severus, and of course I told on you for brewing Polyjuice! Not only did that violate House rules, you could've been in serious danger if the Lestrange found out!" Lily said shuddering at the thought.

"So you agree? You'll spend the day with me? Please, I won't bother you for the rest of the term." Lily's eyes widened. "One day...and you won't bother me for the next 8 months?" she said now her voice shrill and focused. James was silent for a few moments, his face had dropped. "Promise." he said. Lily looked into his eyes this time, and again felt the warmth flood her cheeks. She took a deep breath, took back her hand from his grip, and rested her small hands on her waist. "I will absolutely spend the day with you James Potter. I can't think of anything else I'd ever want to do!" she brightly said, her eyes confident and mischeivous.


End file.
